Coity Castle (Welsh: Castell Coety) in Glamorgan, Wales is a Norman castle built by Sir Payn "the Demon" de Turberville ( fl. 1126), one of the legendary Twelve Knights of Glamorgan.

Crickhowell Castle in Crickhowell, Wales (now in ruins) was initially a motte and bailey castle built from around 1121, probably by Robert Turberville, a tenant of the Marcher lord Bernard de Neufmarché.

Early Origins of the Turbervile family

The surname Turbervile was first found in Breconshire where they were granted lands by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. One of the first records of the surname was William de Turbeville (William Turbe), (c. 1095-1174), a medieval Bishop of Norwich.

An important branch of the family was found at Anstey in Wiltshire in early times. "Here was a commandery of the Knights Hospitallers, founded by Walter de Tuberville in the reign of John." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Later, Sir Henry de Turberville, Trubbeville, Trubleville (died 1239) was a noted English soldier and seneschal of Gascony from 1226 to 1231. A Devon man, he was reappointed seneschal of Gascony on 23 May 1234 and held the position until November 1238. He was known as strong fighter for the cause. [2]CITATION[CLOSE]Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print

According to legend, a ghostly coach crosses the bridge by Woolbridge Manor near Wool, Dorset at night, but only those with Turberville blood can see it. One version claims the coach contains the ghosts of John Turberville of Woolbridge and Anne, the daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Viscount Howard of Bindon on their elopement.

The d'Urberville family in Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles, was based on the mediaeval Turberville family of Bere Regis, Dorset.

Early History of the Turbervile family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turbervile research.Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1549, 1568, 1540, 1597, 1570, 1648, 1681, 1559, 1555, 1612, 1696, 1612, 1678, 1648 and 1681 are included under the topic Early Turbervile History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turbervile Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Turbeyfield, Turberfield, Turbervile, Turbervill, Turberville and many more.

Early Notables of the Turbervile family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was George Turberville, or Turbervile (1540 -1597), an English poet, second son of Nicholas Turberville of Whitchurch, Dorset, the same Dorset family, the D'Urbervilles of Mr Thomas Hardy's novel, Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
James Turberville or Turbervyle (d. 1570?), was an English divine, Bishop of... Another 151 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Turbervile Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Turbervile family to the New World and Oceana

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Turbervile or a variant listed above: Mr. Turberville who landed in America in 1670.